Thursday 20 October 2022

Mid-Life Crisis Songs #86: A Dog’s Life

We live in a democratic household. Therefore when one person says he doesn’t want a dog but the other two members of society vote against him, he better be prepared to get in line. To be fair, Millie the cat was on my side, but apparently her vote doesn’t count. Or perhaps it’s my vote that doesn’t count? Millie doesn’t seem overly concerned with democracy, as long as it doesn’t affect her right to hide under the bed and never come out again, an option I have considered, but ruled out because there’s too much dust under there.

So now we have a dog: a cockapoo called Bertie. And he’s an adorable little fellow who I’m sure I’ll come to love, if I don’t already… but I still don’t want a dog. I don’t want the weight of any more responsibility. Being responsible for a child and a mortgage and a job is already more than I can bear. Because with great responsibility comes great stress, and zero power. I don’t know if any of this makes any sense, but I write it down to get it out of my system. As always.

I need to get my act together for Bertie though, and for the rest of society. He’s already had a rough ride having been taken in by one family and then returned to the breeder after a couple of weeks because their jobs changed and they couldn’t handle a puppy anymore. My heart goes out to him, and to all puppies going off to new families, rolling the dice on whether they’ll get a good one or not. We’ve got to do our best by him, and if that means dragging myself out of my latest slough of despond (or at least keeping my surface hid, just like Pagliacci did), so be it.

Ben Folds – Dog

Pulp – Dogs Are Everywhere

Cat Stevens – I Love My Dog

Lobo – Me & You & A Dog Named Boo



6 comments:

  1. In exactly the same boat, even have the same three-legged democracy. Somehow, so far, I have resisted the call for a dog. The irony is, I'd love a dog (don't tell the cat), but I am the voice of reason when it comes to the impact it would have on our lives... thus far.

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  2. Also, Dogs by The Who. Perhaps not their finest hour.

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  3. A big change to your family dynamic but you will get lots of fresh air and exercise (always a good thing for the spirits), Sam will have an animal chum (my daughter never forgave us for making her an only child without a dog) and you will come to love him unconditionally.

    Good luck - we look forward to hearing about his antics. Alyson

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    1. PS - Bertie looks gorgeous!

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  4. Have fun - life will change, but for the better. Yes, it's a responsibility but more than outweighed by the loyalty and affection a dog will show you
    (Dogs are basically stupid and just want to be loved).
    I've got 3 Jack Russells and never regretted it for a moment - OK, so spontaneous weekends away are not always possible, but hey ... so what, we just work around it.
    Diamond Dogs?

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  5. He looks lovely! I've/we've never had a dog for the same reasons as you express - but, later on in life, having never had one before, my mum (living alone) did. One of the main reasons was to help her through her depression - to give her a reason to get up in the mornings and out of the house, have that sense of responsibility to another living thing, a focus outside of her own issues. It really helped. Thought I'd just throw that in! Dog therapy.

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